Sony insurer not interested in paying for the PlayStation Network hack (Digital Trends)

One of the insurers that covered when cutting Sony PlayStation Network four weeks, said a New York court should not be responsible for claims that occur in cyberspace. The question is whether Sony has been damaged in the real world attacks that took place in the virtual space. Zurich American is also co-insurers continued ACE Ltd., Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and AIG to get a better understanding of shared responsibility to cover potential losses from Sony.

jpg "alt =" "width =" 300 "height =" 300 "> The insurance company, this fits into the right due to the 55 lawsuits in the United States over the loss. Most of the complaints refer to data loss that occurred from PSN Hacking in April 2011. One of the biggest intervention in history, is planning to hack classified information from 77 million users of the PlayStation Network in the hands of hackers. Zurich American also pushing back the blame on Sony and make the company liable for all future in connection with the hacking. network interruption is estimated to have cost Sony $ 171 million already.

PlayStation Network, fully back online during the first week of June 2011. Sony has no new attempts to hack into the network reported, but it is unclear whether the PSN is still a goal. Sony had other properties fell under siege by a denial of service attack on the main Sony site.This attack was attributed to the search for Sony lawsuit against hackers PlayStation 3 George Hotz. CEO Howard Stringer believes that all the attacks were the result of Sony trying to protect its intellectual property for video games.

If a court rules that Zurich American Insurance Company is not responsible for the attacks in cyberspace, Sony is the struggle against class action lawsuits in the U.S. and abroad. In Canada, Ontario woman filed a lawsuit on behalf of one million users in Canada to a massive $ 1 billion in damages.

L.A. Noire expansion Reefer Madness fires up a new trailer (Digital Trends)

The latest downloadable content for LA Noire, a vice case on the road and we have the new trailer below to prove it. DLC called "Reefer Madness", will be released July 12 on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network for 320 MS points or $ 3.99, respectively. Those who pass the Rockstar bought for $ 10 will be the case as part of the load.

The "Reefer Madness" deal between Vice Detective Cole Phelps against drug dealers pushing the vile weed known as marijuana in the streets of Los Angeles to prevent people from smoking and possibly suicide or to commit rape as the 1936 film of the same name suggests will happen, Phelps and his partner have cracked a ring of the largest in the city narcotics.

The "Reefer Madness" is the second case additional DLC for the game, and joins fire investigation is based on the time as "electroplating Nicholson," and two other cases that were originally pre-order bonus, but both can be purchased as well.

Sony restoring game network in Asia; to testify in U.S. (Reuters)

Man looks at Sony Corp's products at an electronics store in Tokyo

TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sony Corp said it will start restoring its PlayStation videogame network in Japan and elsewhere in Asia on Saturday, more than a month after a massive security breach leaked personal details on tens of millions of accounts.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant also said on Friday it plans to testify before U.S. lawmakers at a hearing on data security in Washington on June 2 to address what is thought to be the biggest Internet security breach in history.

The company has been under fire since hackers accessed personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts — 90 percent of which are in North America and Europe — and may have stolen credit card information.

Video game fans and security experts alike have criticized Sony for its handling of the incident, which sparked lawsuits and cast a shadow over its plans to combine the strengths of its content and hardware products via online services.

The company apologized to customers for the outage and said a range of new security measures had been introduced. These included a better early warning system that could alert the company about breaches.

In a new letter sent to U.S. lawmakers late on Thursday evening, Sony said it added more firewalls and introduced policy changes and thorough testing of its systems. But Sony warned the new measures might not be enough to fully secure its networks.

"No security system is absolutely foolproof, and changing conditions in the future can make a currently secure environment less secure," Sony said in the letter signed by Kazuo Hirai, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, the company's games unit.

Japan's trade ministry ordered the games unit on Friday to adopt measures to improve the management and security of personal information, following the data breach.

"Considering the content and volume of information leaked, it is an extremely grave incident, and it is truly regrettable that it occurred and took a considerable time to notify users and the ministry," the ministry said in a statement.

Sony has said it will offer a new identity protection service to customers in Asia.

COUNTING COSTS

On Thursday, Sony said it was keeping to its target of restoring all PlayStation Network services by the end of May, with any delay beyond that not likely to be more than a few days.

It has said it expects the hacking to drag down operating profit by 14 billion yen ($172 million) in the current financial year, including costs for boosting security measures.

Sony shares fell 3.2 percent ahead of the announcement on the restart, with analysts concerned Sony's forecast for a $975 million net profit this business year may not meet expectations. Its ADR shares in the United States were down a little over 1 percent in early afternoon trading.

Some users have said the prolonged outage prompted them to switch to rival Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live games service.

The attack on Sony is the highest-profile of a series that have affected large corporations recently, fueling doubts about the security of cloud computing services.

Sony discovered unusual activity on its PlayStation Network, which enables games console owners to download games, chat with friends and pit their skills against rivals, on April 19.

It shut down the network and its Qriocity online music and movie service, frustrating many users, but waited almost a week before alerting users to the extent of the security leak.

The company later found out a separate online games service had also been penetrated, allowing access to another 25 million user accounts.

($1 = 81.345 Japanese Yen)

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds and Liana B. Baker; writing by Anshuman Daga; editing by Lincoln Feast and Andre Grenon)

Sony says Greece music site security breached (AP)

TOKYO – Sony said it discovered a security flaw 8500 user accounts in a music-entertainment site in Greece, coming on the heels of a hacker attack that forced its flagship online gaming site.

Sony Corp. spokesman Shigenori Yoshida said on Tuesday that personal information such as names, phone numbers and email addresses can be stolen. Yoshida said no credit card numbers were affected.

Sony closed the website for Greece on Sunday and investigate the attack. Yoshida had no further details.

Sony's "PlayStation Network" system was hacked last month, more than 100 million accounts worldwide online and forces it to shut down the popular online gaming service.

The Japanese manufacturer of the PlayStation 3 video game machines and Bravia flat-screen TV has said it aims to fully restore service by the end of May

The security breach is a huge blow to Sony's reputation as the struggle over years of losses at its TV operations and new challenges to overcome shortages in parts of Japan March 11 following the earthquake.

The company said Monday it did 14 billion yen (170 million) to the insurance that identity theft for customers, improve network security, free access to content, customer service and included a cover of 'research on software piracy.

Sony predicts a loss of $ 3,200,000,000 for the fiscal year that ended in March 2011.

Sony BMG Greece Hack Dumps Users’ Data Online (PC Magazine)

What makes this lens for Sony "cool" for hackers?

Sunday, The Hacker News discovered a database of user information from one place to Sony BMG in Greece, which reportedly has been compromised in early May. The information display include passwords, email addresses and phone numbers, and sent pastebin.com. According to THN, someone named "b4d_vipera" has claimed ownership of a computer attack.

The Greek position is the seventh portal Sony violated in recent weeks after the PlayStation Network is also the month of downtime caused by a hacker.

This hack has been caused by an automated system for Structured Query Language (SQL) injection, where a hacker shooting a malicious command on the database level.

High Sophos security consultant Chester Wisniewski advised people to reset their passwords, to prepare for phishing attempts, and expect that their account information in the hands of someone with bad intentions.

"It 's almost impossible to make a presence on the Internet totally safe, especially when the size of Sony," he wrote Wisniewski. "Although it is popular within the hacker community to expose the flaws of Sony, is likely to continue to see attacks against their success."

The Sony and get the last few days, after a phishing site server running Sony has been discovered. Sony has also had a bad time to restart the PlayStation Network after weeks of inactivity. The influx of users trying to change their passwords on Sunday called for Sony to temporarily stop the process.Use a password to log into the later lifted, but Sony has denied a new hack.

Earthquake and PSN Hacking Will Cost Sony Dearly (NewsFactor)

Earthquakes. PlayStation hacks. Call it a double whammy – and it's catastrophic for the profits expected from Sony. In a year when Sony thought it would be strong, the consumer electronics manufacturer in Japan suddenly faced with losses.

Sony Monday revised its forecast consolidated results for the year ended March 31. The good news is that Sony's sales, operating income and operating income expected in line with the forecast in February despite the impact of the earthquake in Japan. The bad news is that Sony will be 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in operating and bleeding misses its annual profit is expected following the earthquake.

"The lower income groups Announcement appears oversized and really underlines the exposure that cloud services are tendencies hacker," said Al Hilwa, a program manager at IDC."We've seen viruses in the past that seriously affected licensed software, but the impact on revenue is usually less acute and long term in relation to these network failures."

The chain of supply disruptions

Sony also expects to take on an additional cost associated with the earthquake, including costs of restoration of sites damaged by the disaster. Sony figures it will be 11 billion yen, or 134 million dollars to spend on buildings, machinery and equipment and supplies to be solved. However, most of these insurance costs.

"Our supply chain significantly damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. In addition to direct damage, power outages and conditions of supply of components also affect our operations, "said Masaru Kato, executive vice president and CFO of Sony.

"We spent the time until last week to examine the conditions for recovery from this injury and review our business plan, taking into account our new forecast, which has resulted in today's announcement. It took some time to reevaluate our business plan to include the effects of the earthquake, and this is one of the reasons that caused a delay of two weeks at the normal time of our year-end earnings announcement. "

Recalling 1995

On 19 April, Sony fell prey to a second type of earthquake – the largest data theft ever – when hackers entered the Sony servers and stole personal data of more than 100 million consumers. When the dust by the anonymous group of Internet activists disclosed records show security flaws in Sony's servers.

Sony's loss is the largest the company has experienced in 16 years.No, ironically, was an unfortunate combination of factors that led to these losses. In 1995, a devastating earthquake in Kobe and challenges Sony's film industry, a negative impact on revenue. The news also means that Sony, which is expected to recover, led by CEO Howard Stringer was after three consecutive years of losses.

Despite the interruption, Sony moved to continue with the news of Android Sony Tablet 3.0, which is distinguished in the market with a dual touch screen. The device is designed to launch this fall, perhaps too little, too late to offset piracy losses from the PlayStation Network.

Sony website and customer accounts hit with new wave of attacks (Yahoo! News)

Sony just can not seem to catch the break. Lock and overhaul of its online services under a cyber attack that the owners disclosed personal information of over 100 million change after – and the setting of a snafu in his password reset system – Sony is under the gun again. Both a large Sony's Japanese website and the ISP division were now victims.

After a warning from security company F-Secure, Sony's Thai website was hacked and the company trick unsuspecting visitors to provide personal information to a fraudulent Italian credit card.Sony has been informed of the unauthorized activity and take steps to resolve the issue. On a more serious' s So-net based internet Japan would have been violated, Sony hackers to run away with more than 100,000 yen (about $ 1200) means the account holder. The company is investigating the breach, but have not found evidence that all personal information has been obtained by the attackers.

At that time, it does not appear that the attacks were directly related to violation of network that brought the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment (who has just returned online today) to stop late last month. But Sony is definitely in the public eye, because clients are beginning to wonder what people and services should have access to their important information.

Reuters via tap Atlantic

[Photo credit: Tripp]

More Tecca:

• Exploit new PlayStation Network accounts put at risk again
• PlayStation Network breach exposed the names, addresses, passwords and more
• PlayStation network downtime is beginning to affect the system, sales of the game

PlayStation Network revival stumbles (AFP)

PlayStation Network revival stumbles

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Efforts to revive Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) stumbled after the company discovered a hacker could exploit the flaw when it was password reset.

PSN Sony temporarily disabled, and streaming music pages Qriocity password reset to correct a vulnerability in a system that has found its position after a cyber-attack which led to be closed for weeks.

"We have provisionally adopted by the NDP and the password reset page Qriocity," Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said in an update released on the PlayStation Blog.

"Contrary to some rumors, there was no hacking involved," he said. "In the process there was a password reset URLs that we define later."

Details of the exploit has not been published, but an open door, had allegedly been left ajar for hackers to change a user password if they knew that the e-mail address and date of birth is associated with an account.

"Consumers who have not reset your password for the PSN is still encouraged to do well on their PS3," says Seybold. "Otherwise you can continue to do so through the website as soon as we bring into this site again."

PSN connects the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console for online gaming, movies and more.

Sony on Sunday began a "gradual recovery" of the network services, which came under hacker attack in one of the largest data breaches since the advent of the Internet.

Cyber ​​twenty stolen data included names, passwords and addresses of more than 100 million accounts on PSN and Sony Online Entertainment Services.

Sony said it is possible that millions of credit card numbers may have been compromised.

Sony to stop the National Development Plan and Qriocity April 20 from its data center in San Diego is committed – but has not disclosed the break until April 26.

The electronics giant and the entertainment began the restoration of services on Sunday and promised that the hearing had been cured.

Japanese multinational company has estimated the cost of computer attack the $ 1 billion.

Head of Sony, Howard Stringer, speaking for the first time Tuesday in the crisis, said the protection of private information is an "endless process" and did not know if someone can be "100 percent sure."

Sony Online Entertainment reactivates MMO servers, forums (Digital Trends)

Sony ended weeks of inactivity and for its PlayStation Network online service last night Qriocity with the release of a security patch improves hacker intrusion following last month that people exposed personal data of 77 million €. Service was again Sony Online Entertainment SOE subscribers who were without access to early May, after it was learned that the intrusion extends from April a.

As for people PSN update requires that accounts of SOEs for games like DC Universe Online to change your password.Restoration services include "the return of almost all State-Owned Enterprises portfolio of online games, game restoration of the SOE forums and websites," said an official press release.

The statement then repeat the same explanation we have is to see that "a number of external security company respected" were deployed to investigate the theft of and develop a new set of security measures, there have been improvements to existing technologies, testing processes are refined, and so on. The real takeaway here for the most part: you are free again to walk around and fight crime in the virtual re-creations of Metropolis and Gotham City.

PSN update now live across the U.S., go change your password now (Digital Trends)

In case you missed it — and you very well might have considering what time this ball got rolling — Sony has officially flipped the switch on the PlayStation Network, restoring service in a limited capacity as a gradually filling map of the United States. charted the progress of the rollout through the night. The map is now fully green, which means firmware update version 3.61 is now available for download to all U.S. users. In addition to online gameplay, the update brings back video rental playback, Music Unlimited on Qriocity, Netflix/Hulu access, Friends Lists, chat, Trophy comparison and PlayStation Home.

The update is a zippy download and installation as of 9:30 a.m. eastern time today, taking no more than 10 minutes to load into your console and do its thing. We’ll see if that changes as more of the country wakes up and tries to bring PS3s back online. In order to complete the update installation, you’ll need to change your password. Not that you wouldn’t want to, since… you know… your private information was compromised and stuff. That said, the real safeguards built into 3.61 are presumably under the hood, since even the most complex password won’t do you a lick of good if all of your info is stolen from the network servers again.

Sony no doubt wants to put this whole unfortunate affair behind it, but there will very likely need to be an extended healing period before consumer confidence can be restored. “Welcome Back” promotions and the like are all well and good, but only time is going to make this mess go away. Look at Microsoft and the whole “Red Ring of Death” circus; slightly different situation but with a similar reach. Both companies made mistakes before stepping up and doing what needed to be done; like Microsoft, Sony’s got a large enough user base that a return to business as usual is a certainty, even if it does take some time.

After all, that new Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack is going to come to PSN at SOME point.